This blog post is part of a sponsored campaign in collaboration with ValoraLife. All opinions are my own.

ValoraLife, a new life insurance venture backed by MassMutual, hosted us for a day of family moments. (All photos by Alejandro Serpas, ValoraLife).

It’s always the little things that stand out the most. Every once in a while it’s also great to do a little reminiscing. For me, thinking back to my childhood means reliving a lot of great memories.

In truth, the happy ones are the ones I choose to cherish. Coming from a family of nine there was always something interesting happening at our house. Summers especially were great for creating long-lasting memories. Take, for example, the time my two brothers and I managed to frustrate our next door neighbor enough that she came over and yelled at us in front of my mother. Or all the fun evenings we spent chaperoning my eldest sister and her boyfriend at the local park because my parents were too old fashioned to let them go anywhere alone.

She hated it, but that’s just how our family functioned. My parents were very traditional then and since we were mainly rich in love, the rest of us kids had to find a way to keep ourselves entertained during the two to three months we were out of school. Eventually the mischief from us boys lessened and my parents began to adapt to the traditions of their new home country, but the memories we made then have really stayed with us ever since.

Those little moments have really meant so much to my own formation, especially as a dad.

I always like to think back to those times and remember how much fun we had together even though we didn’t have a lot of money. Family for us, like many others, is the number one priority. All we cared about is that we were together.

Today, it really is the same. As long as Anjelica, Edgar and I are together we are happy. We love just hanging out and talking, sometimes sitting in silence together, and especially exploring new things as a family. Our cross country road trips are something we especially look forward to every year. Although, we really don’t have to travel far to do a little exploring.

This week, for example, we spent the day rediscovering the latest attractions at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. It was so much fun. We were hosted by ValoraLife, which is a new venture backed by MassMutual that provides a new, simple, and affordable way to purchase life insurance online. They provide online quotes in about five minutes and can process an online insurance application in about 30 minutes. ValoraLife is new to Houston and they have been getting very involved with the local community.

Having life insurance, for us, is about planning for the future. None of us know what tomorrow will hold, and honestly that’s kind of the magic of embracing every moment together. However, we want to make sure that our family, and especially Edgar, is protected no matter what may come. The peace of mind that this gives us as parents is priceless.

Thanks to ValoraLife’s generous invitation, which granted us all access to the museum for the day, we were able to enjoy two IMAX film screenings in 3D, another showing inside the Planetarium at the museum, a walk through the Cockrell Butterfly Center; not to mention all the other new and regular exhibits throughout. We were even able to revisit the Empress of the Americas exhibit one more time.

Edgar really had a great time and just being able to see his face made this family outing one to remember. Now that he’s getting older we don’t always get to do things like this on a regular basis. The fact that Anjelica and I are now working together more than ever, also made it quite special to take a little time off just to enjoy him. It’s so easy to get too busy these days!

The good news for you, dear reader, is that ValoraLife wants to make it easier for more familias to make a lot of great memories together. Right now, you too can visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science for the very affordable discount price of $8 per admission. You only need one coupon like the one below in order for everyone in your group to be able to get this discounted rate. That’s $17 cheaper than the price of regular admission. When you do the math, the savings add up pretty quickly! Once you’re there, you’ll want to share your best moments en familia with the hashtag #FamilyMoments. Go ahead and also tag @valoraLife!

About Los Metiches

Hey y’all, Juan and Anjelica here - better known as Los Metiches! Thanks for stopping by! Juan of Words is the Leading US Hispanic Lifestyle Blog on Mexican Living, and we're all about celebrating our cultura. Find out more here.

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